The Camping chronicles

Hello everyone! Today, we're going to be doing something different. As most of you know, I'm still an active boy scout, so I do a lot of camping. So, I'm going to go over some of the things I've worked on while on campouts.

Alright, first off, I'm going to talk about a campout I went on nearly a year ago. On that trip, we worked on the hiking badge. In the first requirement it says: Show that you know first aid for injuries or illnesses that could occur while hiking, including hypothermia, heatstroke, heat exhaustion, frostbite, dehydration, sunburn, sprained ankle, insect stings, tick bites, snakebite, blisters, hyperventilation, and altitude sickness. For hypothermia, you need to gradually warm the victim up. Try covering him with blankets or clothes, and putting bottles of hot water in places like his armpits. For heatstroke, you need to cool down the victim. However, heatstroke is very dangerous, so call the paramedics or get him to a hospital as soon as possible. When a person has heat exhaustion, they need to lie down in the shade, and sip a little water. Don't give them too much water though. If you get too hot while outside running around, or hiking, or anything, you need to stop or it could lead to heatstroke.

Next on the list is frostbite. You usually get frostbite on your toes or fingers. When that happens, you need to gradually warm the affected area. Don't do it too fast though, or too slow. Alright, next is dehydration. Dehydration is a lack of water. When it happens, give the victim lots of water. Or, try mixing a little salt in it. Salt makes your body absorb more water. When you get a sunburn, you need to apply ice or a cold wet cloth to it, to suck all the heat out. Also, try drinking a lot of water. Ok, now if you're like me you've sprained dozens of ankles. When that happens, put some ice on it. Then, wrap it in an elastic bandage, or even some pieces of cloth, so that the ankle can't move. And remember to try to keep off it.

Now on to insect stings. Depending on what insect it is, you generally do the same thing. If it's bleeding, try to stop the bleeding. If it makes the area around the bite swell up, you're probably allergic to it and should get medical attention, just to make sure nothing bad happens. Otherwise, just put a bandage on it. Ok, now when a tick bites you, it generally stays in. If you can't see it, have

Go To Page: 1 2

Articles in this Topic    Discussions in this Topic